Big Dipper - Lifetime Achievement Award

 

Bio:
Big Dipper formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, in 1985 by bassist Steve Michener and guitarist/vocalist Gary Waleik (both formerly of Volcano Suns), guitarist/vocalist Bill Goffrier (formerly of The Embarrassment) and Waleik's cousin Jeff Oliphant on drums. They released one mini-album and three albums between 1987 and 1990, before splitting up. The band reunited in 2008. They were described in a New York Times article as "musical contortionists: they love to toy with extremes, juxtaposing ferocious guitar noise with celestial vocal harmonies or planting a delicate melody in jagged rhythm".

Their first release was the 1987 mini-album "Boo-Boo", issued by Homestead Records. Their first full-length studio album, "Heavens", released later in 1987, was later described by AllMusic as "one of the finest American indie albums of its era". Their second album, "Craps", followed in 1988. Big Dipper signed to Epic Records for 1990's "Slam". Michener left the band, and they continued with various players for two years, splitting up in 1992 after releasing the "Approach of a Human Being" single (1991, Feel Good All Over) and recording more than an album's worth of material.

In 2008, Merge Records released "Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology", a 3-disc collection of Big Dipper's Homestead recordings, with additional material including the unreleased tracks recorded after Michener left. This renewed interest prompted the band to reform for some live shows in April 2008. In November 2012, they released their first new studio album in 22 years, "Crashes on the Platinum Planet", on Almost Ready Records.


Here's another band Manerg introduced me to back in the late 80s, and for that I'm very grateful. Big Dipper were one of my favourite bands back then, well at least up until their major label release "Slam". Many people regard "Heavens" as their best album, for  me I think "Craps" just shades it, and why tracks from that album feature the heaviest here. Regarding the album "Slam", I remember the excitement on purchasing it, though somewhat concerned by the awful record cover. Well... let's just say on first listen I thought the record cover just about summed up the contents of the album, it was bloody awful! I think I played it twice, and then got rid of. It was such a crushing disappointment after their previous releases on Homestead.

Go forward to 2008 and the "Supercluster" anthology on Merge, reigniting my love for the band, especially the several unreleased tracks which would have most likely been their 4th album, "Very Loud Array", after being ditched by Epic. This would've definitely been a return to form after the overproduced rather flat "Slam", and maybe they wouldn't have sadly split up. It still took me several years to even try and listen to "Slam" again, but once I did it surprisingly wasn't as bad as I remembered. Sure there are many weak songs, but on closer listen I found at least half a dozen tracks that really are quite good!

This anthology comprises mostly of tracks from "Supercluster", plus 3 tracks from "Slam", and the odd EP/compilation track. Focusing on their recordings from 1987 to 1992, I decided at the last minute to include a 'bonus' track from their 2012 comeback album "Crashes on the Platinum Planet", an album which stands up very well to their earlier Homestead releases. "Supercluster" was originally a limited edition release of only 5000 copies, but can now be found easily on bandcamp. I recommend you purchase it, there's hardly a dud on it.


  1. You're Not Patsy (2:28)
  2. Mr. Woods (3:09)
  3. Meet the Witch (3:53)
  4. San Quentin, CA (2:17)
  5. Impossible Things (3:00)
  6. Wrong in the Charts (2:58)
  7. Making Plans for Bison (2:00)
  8. Restaurant Cloud (3:10)
  9. The Insane Girl (3:37)
10. Lou Gehrig's Disease (3:47)
11. Approach of a Human Being (4:30)
12. Man o' War (2:40)
13. Slam (2:49)
14. Faith Healer (3:01)
15. Ron Klaus Wrecked His House (5:02)
16. Extraordinary Worm (3:24)
17. Homosapien (4:29)
18. Which Would You Rather? (featuring Ellie Marshall) (2:40)
19. Younger Bums (2:56)
20. Semjáse (4:34)
21. Life Inside the Cemetery (3:42)
22. Silentium (2:39)
23. The Monsters of Jazz (2:41)
24. A Song to Be Beautiful (4:05)
25. Untitled (2:08)
     "bonus track"
26. Robert Pollard (4:13)

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Disco Inferno - The Past Looks Dead

 

 

Bio:
Disco Inferno formed in Essex, UK in 1989 by Ian Crause (guitar & vocals), Paul Wilmott (bass), Rob Whatley (drums) and Daniel Gish (keyboards).

After the departure of Gish (who would later join Bark Psychosis) the now three-piece Disco Inferno recorded the single "Entertainment", closely followed by their first album, "Open Doors, Closed Windows", in 1991 on the Che label. The album received positive reviews, although most mentioned the heavy influence of late 1970s post punk bands, particularly Joy Division and Wire (In fact Disco Inferno's manager, Michael Collins, had previously managed Wire during their 70's incarnation). "Entertainment", "Open Doors, Closed Windows" and the following EP "Science" would later be collected on the album "In Debt".

In 1992 the band released "Summer's Last Sound", widely regarded as the first in a run of classic Disco Inferno EPs which saw the band's increasing use of samples. The band's use of sampling combined with traditional instruments - particularly Wilmott's bass - continued on the EPs "A Rock to Cling To" and "The Last Dance" and reached its peak on their second album, "D.I. Go Pop". After the full-on assault of "D.I. Go Pop" the band opted for restraint on the beautiful "Second Language" EP which also had a new-found optimism in Crause's lyrics.

Their final EP, "It's a Kid's World'", sampled the distinctive drumbeat from Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" and added in a series of old children's TV themes to good effect, but despite critical acclaim the band attracted little commercial success and split before their final album "Technicolour" was released in 1996.


This is a band which took me several years to finally get into. I'd heard the odd song by them but never felt the urge to pursue their releases any further. About 15 years ago, I listened for the first time their acclaimed 2nd album "D.I. Go Pop" but found it rather difficult to enjoy, but I kept coming back to it over the years until finally realising what a masterpiece it was. After that realisation I gave their whole back catalogue a proper listen, kicking myself for missing out on one of the most inventive bands of the 1990s. "D.I. Go Pop" for me is by far their best album, but several of their EPs are equally rewarding. You can find most of their EP recordings on the 2011 collection "The 5 EPs", released by One Little Indian. Well worth purchasing. I guess you could say their first and third albums are more or less what you could call "normal", compared to "D.I. Go Pop".

They did actually record a song called "D.I. Go Pop", which wasn't on the aforementioned album, but appeared on their 1993 EP "The Last Dance". I think you'll find this the most insane track on this collection, but a bit like with Captain Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica", after several plays you begin to make some kind of sense of what the hell is going on...! I posted the mix of this on hearthis the other day and it's already received over 140 listens, which I find somewhat amazing! So, no more yapping from me, I hope you enjoy this latest collection. Cheers!

  

  1. Summer's Last Sound (5:37)
  2. Fallen Down the Wire (4:37)
  3. The Atheist's Burden (3:55)
  4. A Whole Wide World Ahead (4:37)
  5. When the Story Breaks (3:08)
  6. Arc in Round (3:57)
  7. Incentives (3:27)
  8. D.I. Go Pop (5:06)
  9. Tortoise (2:19)
10. Waking Up (5:56)
11. In Sharky Water (4:39)
12. Love Stepping Out (6:17)
13. Hope to God (1:39)
14. It's a Kid's World (4:29)
15. Entertainment (4:45)
16. New Clothes for the New World (1:57)
17. A Little Something (2:55)
18. A Rock to Cling To (3:49)
19. Even the Sea Sides Against Us (3:43)
20. Things Move Fast (2:59)

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Swell - All That You Got (1990-2008)

 

Bio:
Swell formed in San Francisco in 1989 when David Freel (vocals/guitar) and Sean Kirkpatrick (drums) decided to record a self-titled album, released on Freel's own pSychosPecificMusic label in 1990. Swell's influences range from 80's post-punk bands, Pink Floyd to folk, noise pop and Ennio Morricone film scores.
In 1991, now with Monte Vallier on bass and John Dettman on guitar, they recorded a second album, "...Well?", which was released in February 1992, also on pSychoSpecificMusic. Though Dettman left the band soon after, Freel, Kirkpatrick, and Vallier carried on, receiving an offer from Def American to give "...Well?" a wider release one year after its first release.

Adding guitarist Tom Hays, they began recording their third album, "41", in 1992. It was released by American in late 1993. In 1993 Niko Wenner (Oxbow, Jellyfish) replaced Hays, and toured with the band on guitar, backing vocals, and keyboards. Subsequent albums include 1997's "Too Many Days Without Thinking" and 1998's "For All the Beautiful People". The latter album included Wenner on guitar and backing vocals, and Rob Ellis on drums.

"Everybody Wants to Know", more a Freel solo album than anything else, appeared in spring 2001. "Whenever You're Ready" - recorded with Sean Kirkpatrick - and the compilation "Bastards and Rarities" both appeared in 2003. Early 2004 Swell toured the States for the first time in six years. They also toured Europe again in 2004, the band consisting of Mat Mathews on drums, Greg Baldzikowski (keyboards and guitars), Doran Bastin (bass) and David Freel (vox, acoustic guitar).

After three years of silence Freel started recording new songs in spring 2007, assisted by Nick Lucero (ex-Qotsa) on drums. The final Swell album, "South of the Rain and the Snow", was released late 2007 on pSychosPecificMusic, together with "The Lost Album", a 9-track compilation of rarities from the 1995–1997 era. Swell toured Europe in October/November 2008, Freel's sidekicks on this tour were Ron Burns (drums) and Brian Mumford (guitar & fx).

Freel died in Oregon City on April 12, 2022, aged 64. The news of his death was shared on Facebook, however, the actual cause of death was not made public.


On hearing about David Freel's untimely death last month, which deeply saddened me (too many musicians I've liked/loved have died quite recently), I dug out my favourite Swell album, "...Well?", which I hadn't listened to for several years. I'd almost forgotten what a fine band Swell were all those years ago. After deciding to make the opening track on my next Spaghetti Tree compilation one of my favourite Swell songs, "At Long Last", I felt Freel deserved a more substantial tribute. Compiling this collection of some of my favourite Swell songs, featuring at least 1 track from all their studio releases, plus the odd EP/single track, proved to be a very tough task indeed. I could have easily made this collection double CD in length, even then there'd be several tracks deserving of a place. Tracks from "...Well?" feature the most heavily, 3 in total.

As per usual, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection!

  1. In the Door, Up the Stairs / Is That Important? (5:04)
  2. It's Okay (3:52)
  3. Bongstarr (3:56)
  4. 20,000 Years (3:28)
  5. Bridgette, You Love Me (3:12)
  6. ...A Velvet Sun (5:27)
  7. Say Goodbye (3:40)
  8. Sick Half of a Church (3:35)
  9. Today (3:31)
10. Golden Years (3:42)
11. Wash Your Brain (4:06)
12. Good Good Good (2:41)
13. O My C (4:05)
14. I've Got the World on a String (2:47)
15. Here It Is (4:02)
16. (I Know) The Trip (4:31)
17. At Long Last (3:39)
18. Someday Always Comes (4:14)
19. Next to Nothing (4:56)
20. Trouble Loves You (5:22)

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Thee More Shallows - Mangled Observations (2002-2021)

 

Bio:
Thee More Shallows (initially "Thee Shallows") are a San Francisco based band formed in 2001, consisting of songwriter Dee Kesler, Chavo Fraser, and Jason Gonzales. Their debut album, "A History of Sport Fishing", was released in 2002. It showcased classical influences as well as laying down the foundation of the groups mellow, textured sound. The album was released on Megalon Records and received very little promotion in the United States, while it was given a big push by Monotreme Records in the United Kingdom, and this led to the band becoming more popular in Europe than in their home country.

The band built their own studio in Oakland in order to set about recording the follow-up, but this was a task which would come to occupy them for the next two years as they painstakingly recorded each track to their own satisfaction. The final result of this lengthy process was "More Deep Cuts" which came out in 2004. The EP "Monkey vs. Shark" appeared in 2006, after which they signed to Anticon, issuing their third full-length, "Book of Bad Breaks" in the spring of 2007. This album, like their previous efforts, was met with a favorable critical response.

After a 14-year hiatus, frontman Dee emerged from the wilderness working under the Thee More Shallows moniker again with the help of some previous band members and some new musicians, releasing the album "Dad Jams" in 2021. Musically, it retains the adventurous, experimental edge of previous Thee More Shallows albums, but it is also rooted in a stronger pop sensibility, with plenty of bouncy, hooky melodies.


I first toyed with the idea of doing an anthology of Thee More Shallows about a year ago. They were a band I really enjoyed in the early/mid 2000's, and was rather disappointed that they more or less disappeared after the release of their 3rd album in 2007. The anthology was put on the back-burner after switching my attention to other compilations, and went in my "comps to make" folder. But, after recently discovering they were releasing a new album called "Dad Jams", I decided now would be the perfect time to complete this collection. I'm not that fond of the new album, but maybe it'll grow on me with time... I have included, though, two tracks I really like from the album, to accompany my favourite songs from those much earlier releases.

As usual info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you all enjoy this latest anthology!


  1. The 8th Ring of Hell (6:24)
  2. Fly Paper (3:41)
  3. Phineas Bogg (4:20)
  4. Freshman Thesis (5:00)
  5. Little Brave Friends (3:26)
  6. Night at the Knight School (3:15)
  7. The Perfect Map (8:01)
  8. Cloisterphobia (4:15)
  9. I Can't Get Next to You (4:41)
10. A History of Sport Fishing (6:55)
11. Cold Picture (4:09)
12. Proud Turkeys (5:53)
13. 2 AM (4:38)
14. Monkey vs Shark (4:45)
15. Ballad of Douglas Chin (3:52)
16. The White Mask (6:40)

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The Boo Radleys - Gifts in the Tree

Bio:
"The Boo Radleys formed in Wallasey, England in 1988, with Rob Harrison on drums, singer/guitarist Simon "Sice" Rowbottom, guitarist/songwriter Martin Carr, and bassist Timothy Brown. Their name is taken from the character Boo Radley in Harper Lee's 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Shortly after the release of their first album "Ichabod and I", Steve Hewitt replaced Rob Harrison on drums and was in turn replaced by Rob Cieka. The band split up in 1999. In their 11-year-long career, the band had one top ten single, the 1995 single "Wake Up Boo!", which charted at no. 9; and a number one album, Wake Up!. The discography of The Boo Radleys consists of six studio albums, three compilation albums, five extended-plays, and sixteen singles one of which ("Lazarus") was a released twice, along with remixes of the same song, and their final single ("Kingsize") which was cancelled before release."


This is another band I never even thought about doing a compilation of, until a few days ago when listening to a few of their EPs/singles. As the bio states there have already been 3 comps of the band, the first one, "Learning to Walk" brought together 3 of their early EP releases. The other 2 focused mostly on their A-side singles, whereas I've always felt their album tracks & B-sides have often been much superior. 
My compilation does feature a couple of their singles, "Lazarus" (so much better than the album version) and "What's in the Box?", the other tracks are from 5 of their 6 studio albums and various singles/EPs. I was never impressed with their debut album, "Ichabod and I", so nothing from that release features here. Also absent is their big hit (in the UK anyway), "Wake Up Boo", a song of theirs I've never really liked, though it does have a couple of decent B-sides.


Big shout out to Manerg for the usual invaluable advice, some song suggestions, and finding the original artwork which I subtly/incompetently buggered about with in photoshop. He also came up with the excellent title for this collection, fans of the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" should get the reference. As usual, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music and download files. So, stay safe, and enjoy! 


  1. Petroleum (3:53)
  2. Meltin's Worm (4:18)
  3. Reaching Out From Here (3:01)
  4. Thinking of Ways (3:47)
  5. Memory Babe (3:16)
  6. Get on the Bus (3:12)
  7. Comb Your Hair (3:49)
  8. Foster's Van (4:13)
  9. One is for Tomorrow (6:17)
10. Everything Falls Away (4:03)
11. The Finest Kiss (5:15)
12. Lazarus (6:21)
13. Spaniard (3:36)
14. Bloke in a Dress (2:38)
15. Feels Like Tomorrow (2:21)
16. Leaves and Sand (4:25)
17. 4am Conversation (2:42)
18. Safe at Home (2:14)
19. What's in the Box? (See Whatcha Got) (3:29)
20. Monuments for a Dead Century (5:56)

Note:
The more eagle-eyed fans of the band might notice something strange with track 9. "One is For", a very short track from the album "Giant Steps", is merged with the track "Tomorrow" (their cover of a song originally from the film Bugsy Malone), from the cancelled single "Kingsize". 

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Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Murder Ballads & Happy Endings

Bio:

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci formed in 1991 in Carmarthen, Wales. Their best known lineup was Euros Childs (vocals, keyboards), his sister Megan Childs (violin, backing vocals), John Lawrence (guitar, vocals), Richard James (bass), and Euros Rowlands (drums). The band was formed by Euros Childs, James and Lawrence whilst still at school, and they have seen a number of lineup changes (perhaps most notably, the departure of Lawrence following 1999's Spanish Dance Troupe) during their existence. The band split in 2006.

Sounding like a bizarrely sweet and whimsical cross between progressive rock, psychedelia, and pure pop, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci were one of the most original and distinctive bands to emerge from the vital post-Brit-pop Welsh scene of the mid-'90s. Gorky's music followed unconventional time signatures and structures, as well as instrumentation (boasting everything from droning moog synthesizers to slurring trombones and steel guitars) and melodic patterns. Furthermore, the band's lyrics were rarely about conventional pop/rock subjects, and they frequently sang in Welsh, which made their already odd music sound even more alien to most listeners.

With their 1997 album Barafundle, the wide-ranging instrumentation remained ("Diamond Dew" has a prominent part for the jaw harp) and there were still psychedelic touches, but the album as a whole was more laid back than their earlier work, tending more towards folk music. This gentler direction was largely maintained and refined in their later records, though the occasional poppier and rockier number, such as "Poodle Rockin'" continued to crop up.

This was yet another collection which took some time to compile, I originally had the idea of doing a Gorky's anthology 6 months ago. Several aborted attempts meant I kept putting it on hold until a week ago when I decided to have one last go. I honestly don't know where I was going wrong with those previous attempts, maybe I was just taking the wrong approach, but this time around I found it much easier to compile. This is in no way a definitive compilation, like Elf Power or Vic Chesnutt I had a large back catologue to choose from. For some Gorky's fans there'll be a few glaring omissions, but I could easily have picked another 27 tracks and come up with a collection equal to this one.

Thanks to Manerg for his suggestions/advice for the artwork, and for putting up with my endless ramblings whenever I need that advice! Without his help a few of these collections might never have seen the light of day or been somewhat inferior. As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. Take care everyone, hope you enjoy, and stay safe!

  1. Her Hair Hangs Long (5:00)
  2. Miss Trudy (2:41)
  3. Young Girls & Happy Endings (2:25)
  4. Don't You Worry (0:58)
  5. Fresher Than the Sweetness in Water (2:21)
  6. Barbed Wire (3:21)
  7. Bocs Angelica (1:56)
  8. Heywood Lane (2:51)
  9. Country (1:45)
10. Frozen Smile (1:20)
11. Un Hogyn Trist, Un Hogan Drist (3:10)
12. Poodle Rockin' (2:53)
13. Miniature Kingdoms (4:08)
14. Face Like Summer (2:55)
15. Murder Ballad (2:38)
16. Out on the Side (3:23)
17. Merched yn Neud Gwallt ei Gilydd (3:12)
18. Blood Chant (4:55)
19. Cân Megan (3:14)
20. Naw. E. Pimp (2:46)
21. Waking for Winter (3:19)
22. The Girl I've Always Known (2:26)
23. Diamond Dew (2:50)
24. Heart of Kentucky (4:12)
25. Tsunami (3:39)
26. No One Looked Around (1:49)
27. Hi ar Gân (3:04)

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